I thought my system was good enough. In reality it was, but I wanted the graphics to be that much clearer. This article on Cinemablend prompted me to upgrade my video card. Okay, upgrade from using the 7660D iGPU to a discrete R9 290X.
Using the in-game benchmark, I found the following difference in performance between Mantle and DirectX 11. All the settings were "Ultra" with the exception of Tessellation and Post Processing which were set to "High". Please note that I did not average the lowest number of frames per second. The lowest number shows the worst case scenario for system performance.
| Mantle | ||||
| Test | 1 | 2 | 3 | Average |
| Minimum | 51.3 | 43.2 | 47.4 | |
| Average | 56.1 | 55.2 | 55.4 | 55.6 |
| DirectX 11 | ||||
| Test | 1 | 2 | 3 | Average |
| Minimum | 14.2 | 14.7 | 17.4 | |
| Average | 38.4 | 38 | 35.9 | 37.4 |
I am under the impression that I have little to gain in getting a new motherboard and CPU. A few FPS would just be bragging rights when the game is already very playable. This example of frequency scaling suggest that I could further overclock my system, however, I want to avoid stressing my 500W power supply. I am probably already drawing close to 400W !
Looking at the modest improvements that I would have using a Intel i7-4770k, make me think I made a good decision with my 120$ APU back in 2012. In the end, I can attest that Mantle does make a CPU last a lot longer with one of the most demanding titles around.
System Components:
Windows 8.1
A10-5800k@4.6GHz (AMD) CPU
R9-290X (Powercolor) GPU
8GB DDR3 2133 (G.Skill) RAM
5900RPM 1.5TB (Western Digital) HDD
1920x1080 60Hz (LG) Monitor
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